QB 



TAR STORIES 

FOR 

JTTLE FOLKS 






rVortK 



• Alcor 



Big Dipper- 



GERTRUDE CHANDLER Vv^kRNER 




Class _j^S4ii- 



Star Stories for Little Folks 



Star Stories for Little Folks 



BY 

GERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER 

Author of 
" The House of Delight " 




THE PILGRIM PRESS 

BOSTON CHICAGO 



-s^ 



Copyright 1918 
By frank M. SHELDON 



JUL 30 1918 



THE PILGRIM PRESS 
BOSTON 



r^ 



vS)GLA499978 



GRATEFULLY DEDICATED 
TO 



PREFACE 

A LETTER TO YOU 
Dear , 

(\\ riie your own name here.) 

Before you read this little book, Dr. Lorry 
says I must tell you that the stars are not 
alwaj^s in the same place in the sky. If you 
are not acquainted with them, it is easier to 
find them when they are just coming up in the 
east. So under the name of each group of 
stars, you will find the best time of year to 
look for it. 

In the winter, I always had my lessons at 
seven o'clock, but after April it was so light 
that we changed the time to eight o'clock. 
Since then, there is a new plan to SAVE 



DAYLIGHT, so from April to October 
while this plan lasts, you will have to go out 
at nine o'clock on the dates printed with each 
lesson. 

Dr. Lorry laughed when he found that his 
pictures were going into a real Astronomy 
book, and said if he had known this, he would 
have been more particular. But I have been 
able to learn the stars from them very easily. 

As soon as you find a constellation, write 
the date on the dotted line under its picture. 
Then you will know when you have earned 
your diploma. I hope you will have as good 
a time as I did, finding the fifteen constella- 
tions. 

Your little friend, 

Helen. 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. The Two Dippers 1 

11. Auriga, the Wagoner 6 

III. Taurus, the Bull 10 

IV. Orion 14 

V. Gemini, the Twins 18 

VI. Canis Major, the Great Dog ... 21 

VII. Leo, the Lion 25 

VIII. Bootes, the Herdsman ..... 29 

IX. Corona, the Northern Crown ... 32 

X. Lyra, the Lyre 36 

XL Cygnus, the Swan 40 

XII. Scorpio 44 

XIII. Sagittarius, the Archer 47 

XIV. The Square of Pegasus, the Triangle, 

and Aries, the Ram 51 

XV. Cassiopeia^s Chair 55 

XVI. The Planets 59 



STAR STORIES FOR LITTLE 
FOLKS 



I. THE TWO DIPPERS 

Look for the Dippers early in November 

Doctor LoiT}^ had solemnly promised 
Helen that when she grew strong enough to 
go out in the yard at seven o'clock, he would 
come up on purpose to point out some of the 
most beautiful stars, and teach her their 
names. 

Night after night Helen had tossed in her 
white bed by the window. It was only when 
the kind nurse had pushed the shade up— 
slip, slip, creak, creak, — and let Helen look 
out at the wonderful starry sky, that she had 
been able to rest at all. 



And now here she was down in the hall, 
dressed warmly from the top of her brown 
fur hat, with its scarlet rose, to her brown fur 
leggings, waiting for the big, burly doctor to 
keep his promise. And he kept it. He came 
chugging up in his long gray car, looking like 
a bear in his fur coat. 

"Only fifteen minutes, sister," he said to 
Helen. "We mustn't take cold. We will go 
out to the garden path and face north, to get 
a view of the Big Dipper. No course of lec- 
tures is complete without the Big Dipper to 
start from." 

''Please let it be a course of lectures," 
begged Helen. 

"Very well," agreed Dr. Lorry, good- 
naturedly. "Now just take a look at this." 

He turned a tiny flash-hght on a black card 
with white stars dotted on it in the shape of 
the Dipper. 



'^^ Steer 



A I cor 



I found this on 
3 



''The Dipper is right side up, right above 
those trees. , Four stars_ make the bowl and 
three the long handle." 

''I see!" cried Helen. 

"Now," continued the doctor, ''the two 
stars thi'ough which the arrow was drawn are 
called Pointers, because they point almost to 
the North Star. Do you see it? A very faint 
star?" 

"Yes," cried Helen again, "and it is the very 
tail of the Little Dipper's handle, exactly like 
the picture." 

"Good!" said Dr. Lorry, very much pleased. 
"You have sharp enough eyes to see little 
Alcor, I think. If a person can see Alcor, he 
has very good eyes. Look in the handle of 
the Big Dipper, directly above the first star 
from the end. Alcor is the Rider, and the 
bright star below it is his Horse." 

4 



"I see both," said Helen. ''My eyes are all 
right." 

''Good! Now we must go in." 

Helen went very obediently. 

"How different the stars look when I'm 
outdoors!" she said. 

But when she was lying in bed again, look- 
ing out at the starry sky, the Big Dipper 
already seemed like a dear old friend. 



II. AURIGA, THE WAGONER 

Look for Auriga during the middle of November 

"Do come in just a minute, Dr. Lorry, and 
see what I've made," begged Helen, the sec- 
ond night the doctor came to tell her about 
the stars. 

Dr. Lorry put on his eye-glasses and sat 
down near the library lamp, to look at the 
small blue book Helen handed to him. It was 
made of six squares of black paper pasted on 
larger white cards. 

On the first square Helen had drawn the 
Dippers in white ink, and underneath on the 
card she had written all she had learned about 
them. On the blue cover in large white letters 
was printed :MY STAR BOOK. 

''That's a fine idea!" exclaimed the doctor. 



''I wish every little girl in the United States 
had one. Tonight we'll learn a group of stars 
that will be harder to draw. It is called 
Au-ri'-ga, or the Wagoner. We'll go to the 
same place to see it, and face north." 

When they had found the Big Dipper, Dr. 
Lorry said, ''Now, instead of using the two 
real Pointers to find Auriga, just imagine 
that the two top stars of the bowl are pointing 
east, or to the right. You see they point out 
a very, very bright star, the only bright one 
anywhere near?" 

''Yes," answered Helen, "brighter than 
even the Dipper?" 

"Yes, a star of the first magnitude, we say, 
meaning brightness. Now, see what we are 
to look for." 

This time the flash-light showed a large 
figure made of five stars, one of w^hich was the 
bright star. When the light was turned away. 



Helen looked up into the darkness and saw the 
exact copy of the little di'awing smiling down 
upon her — only so very large and grand. 

"The bright star is named Ca-pel'-la, the 
Goat. Playing near her are the three little 
Kids." 

Helen skipped with pleasure when she 
found them. "This is a prettier group than 
the Dipper." 

"A prettier constellation, we say," said the 
doctor, smiling and leading the way back to 
the house. 



III. TAURUS, THE BULL 

You can see this during December 

"The moon is so bright we can't see the 
stars well, now," Dr. Lorry had telephoned, 
and it seemed a long time to Helen before 
they stood once more, looking up at the bright 
Capella, now much higher up in the sky. 

"Helen, what color is Capella?" asked Dr. 
LoiTy. 

"White," answered Helen. "All the stars 
are white." 

"Ahem!" said the doctor, "are they, though? 
Suppose you draw a line through Capella and 
the three Kids until it comes to that very 
bright star in the east. What color's that?" 

"Why, redr said Helen, in astonishment. 

10 



I found this on 
11 



"Red is correct/' said the doctor. ''We have 
yellow ones, green ones, blue ones — " 

"Blue ones!" 

"Bluish, we say," smiled her companion. 
"That red star is called Al-deb'-a-ran, or the 
Bull's Eye, because it forms the eye in the 
constellation of Tau'-rus, the Bull. You 
see it is in that V-shaped figui'e? That is the 
Bull's face." 

"I don't think it looks much like a bull's 
face," said Helen, after a moment. 

"Neither do I," agreed the doctor. "All 
these names were made up about three thou- 
sand years ago, you see. Perhaps if we wxre 
naming the constellations, we might do it dif- 
ferently. Xow, just a little higher up, do you 
see a tiny bunch of stars?" 

"Yes, three, four, five tiny ones." 

Dr. Lorry was silent. 

"Six — seven!" cried Helen, after a moment. 

12 



"Bright eyes!" said the doctor. "I see 
seven, too. They are called the Ple'-ia-des, or 
sometimes the Seven Sisters. You'll find the 
Pleiades mentioned in the Bible. Now, see if 
you can find where before I come again." 



13 



IV. ORION 

Orion can best be seen early in January 

Helen had her book all ready in the hall to 
show the doctor, the Bull carefully drawn, 
Aldebaran tinted a rosy red, and the Pleiades 
shining in their places like tiny jewels. Un- 
derneath she had written : 

That maketh the Bear, Orion, and Pleiades, 

And the chambers of the south. 

Job 9: 9. 

Canst thou bind the cluster of the Pleiades, 

Or loose the bands of Orion? 

Job 38: 31. 

"Mother helped me find the verses," ex- 
plained Helen, "but I really don't understand 
them." 

"Orion is the constellation we have to- 

14 




I found this on . 
15 



night," said Dr. Lorry, opening the front 
door. ''This time we will face east. See our 
old friends, Auriga, Taurus, and the Pleiades ? 
Now we will add to them O-rf-on, the Giant 
Hunter. Here is his picture." 

The black card showed a figure somewhat 
the shape of Auriga, only a belt of three large 
stars went across the middle. Then Helen 
gazed upwards. 

'T see a square of bright stars that I always 
used to call the Little Dipper," said Helen. 

"0-ho!" said the doctor, ''you're looking for 
something too small. Orion himself is much, 
much larger. That is only his belt and sword. 
His shoulders and head are above, and his 
feet—" 

"Oh, so large!" interrupted Helen. "And 
he is bright, isn't he?" 

"I guess you see him," said the doctor. 
"He is the most beautiful constellation we 

16 



have. The three bright stars make his belt, 
and his sword is stuck through his belt. In 
the handle of his sword is a hazy cloud called 
the Great Nebula. 

"Now, just throw back your head and look 
at all these stars at once, and see if you can 
imagine any one great enough to make Orion 
and the Pleiades and those great, open spaces 
over in the southern sky? We couldn't string 
those seven stars of the Pleiades on a chain of 
fire. Could you break up Orion and let those 
wonderful stars wander around through the 
sky?" 

''Why, those are my verses," said Helen, in 
surprise. ''How easy!" 

"Just a minute," said the doctor, suddenly, 
turning around once more before they went 
in. "What color would you call Rigel 
(Ri'-jel), Orion's left foot?" 

''Bluer said Helen. 

17 



V. GEMINI, THE TWINS 

Look for this during the middle of January 

'We will find the Twins, Cas'-tor and Pol- 
lux, tonight," said Dr. Lorry, guiding Helen 
along the dark path. "They are rather hard 
to point out, but once you see the picture — " 
he fumbled in his pocket for his little black 
card and hght. 

''Castor is a bright star, perfectly white, 
and Pollux is a little brighter star, as yellow 
as gold. To help j^ou find them, I will say 
there is a spelling-match up in the sky just 
below Auriga, and just at the left of Orion, 
and Castor and Pollux are choosing sides. 
Castor has two stars on his side and Pollux 
has three." 

Helen laughed, put her hand over the light, 

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I found this on 
19 



and looked up to hunt for the two lines of 
spellers. She soon found them. 

"For Orion is pointing right at them," she 
said. 

"This lesson is so short, I want to show you 
something else. Do you see a faint, silvery 
band crossing the sky, passing through 
Auriga, and very near Gemini? It is made 
of so many millions of stars, and they are so 
far away, that it looks milky. It is called the 
Milky Way. You can study it with your 
opera-glasses, and find many clusters and 
drifts of stars in it, to keep you from getting 
impatient for your next lesson." 



20 



VI. CANIS MAJOR, THE GREAT 
DOG 

You xcill find this early in February 

"Orion has a great hunting dog," said Dr. 
Lorry, as if he were going to tell a story, 
''and he is forever chasing a rabbit. He never 
catches it, and he is always after it. He runs 
so fast that he is standing on his hind legs all 
the time, his tail sticking out straight, and his 
front feet in the air. His nose is the very 
brightest star in the sky. Here he is!" The 
black card showed the picture of the Great 
Dog. 

''NoAv look up behind Orion, just coming 
up over the hill. Si'ri-us, his nose, is called 

21 



the dog-star, and when it rises with the sun, 
we say dog-days have come." 

''Where is the rabbit?" asked Helen. 

''Right under Orion's feet," answered the 
doctor. "Can you see a rough square with 
three stars curved over it, for the rabbit's 
back? Four very faint stars on the right are 
the rabbit's ears." 

"I think Rigel and Sirius are the prettiest 
stars I know," said Helen. 

"You did well to remember Rigel's name," 
said Dr. Lorry, looking surprised. 

"Well, you see," explained Helen, timidly, 
"I come out nearly every night with mother 
and I point out all the things I learn to Edith 
and Donald. Of coui'se I don't know very 
much about the stars, but they love to hear it." 

"Good!" said the doctor. "Now, I don't 
know very much about the stars, but I learn 

22 




I found this on . 



23 



more when I tell you, and you learn more 
when you tell Edith and Donald. You might 
even let them copy your book." 
"I have," said Helen, laughing. 



24 



VII. LEO, THE LION 

Look for Leo late in March 

One day Dr. Lorry had a telephone call. 

''Do you want your grass cut?" asked a 
small, eager voice. 

'']My grass cut! Why, it's not up yet. 
Grass doesn't come up until April, young 
lady." 

''Well, anyway, I've found something in 
the sky that looks like a sickle," explained 
Helen. "You know, one of those curved 
knives we cut gi^ass with." 

"Have you, indeed?" cried Dr. Lorry. "I'll 
be over tonight, then, as soon as it's dark, and 
take a star lesson from you." 

And actually, when Dr. Lorry ran up the 
front steps, the little teacher was ready for 

25 



her pupil with a black card, bearing the pic- 
ture of a beautiful star sickle. 

"That's fine," said the doctor, following 
Helen out into the garden. "And it's one of 
the few constellations that really looks like its 
name. Ah! there it is!" 

"What is the first magnitude star in the 
handle?" asked Helen, mischievously. 

"First magnitude!" echoed Dr. Lorry. 
"You're a good pupil. Well, that is Regulus. 
This constellation is sometimes called Leo, the 
Lion, as well as the Sickle, And Regulus is 
the lion's heart." 

"You couldn't possibly mistake Leo, could 
you?" said Helen. 

"Not if you look directly east during the 
last of March at seven o'clock, at the constel- 
lation just coming up," laughed Dr. Lorry. 

"There is one more interesting thing about 
Leo. There is a shower of meteors near Leo, 

26 




I found this on 



27 



called the Leonids, every November from the 
tenth to the fifteenth. They are bluish and 
very swift." 

"Oh, do let's watch next November!" Helen 
said. 

''Let's wait until 1932/' suggested Dr. 
Lorry, "because they are magnificent every 
thirty-three years. And it wouldn't do to sit 
up until after midnight very often." 

"I'll see you, then, in 1932," said Helen. 



28 



VIII. BOOTES, THE HERDSMAN 

Look for this the last part of April 

"The very first thing you must learn about 
our new constellation," began Dr. Lorry, 
glancing at the sky, ''is to pronounce its name 
correctly. Bootes is pronounced Bo-o-tease. 

''And the next thing is to see his picture," 
went on the doctor, bringing out his card. 

"It looks like a kite," said Helen. 

"Yes; and the way to find it is to look at 
the Big Dipper, using the two top stars as 
pointers, and following to the right or east, 
until you come to a big, big, — " 

"Reddish-yellow star!" said Helen. 

"Yes," said the doctor, looking up at the 
big star. "Do you see it?" Its name is Arc- 
tu -rus, and it is m.entioned in the Bible, so it 

29 



is pretty old. Bootes is the Herdsman, and 
Arcturus is his right knee." 

''Let's call it a kite/' said Helen. 

''Very well," agreed Dr. Lorry, "only don't 
let any one think he is anything but a Herds- 
man. He is very much easier to find if you 
look for a kite, however." 

"Do you notice how light it is now at 
seven?" asked Helen. 

"Perhaps next time I had better wait imtil 
eight o'clock," suggested the doctor. "It is 
almost too bright to see the stai's at all. 

"I love to learn the stars," said Helen. "I 
can find all those I learned first, even if they 
are farther toward the west, because I've 
watched them. See! Orion is just setting, and 
Gemini and Am-iga are just above. And 
Sirius will soon be out of sight at night." 

"Keep it up, Helen," was all Dr. Lorry 
said. 

30 




I found this on . 
31 



IX. CORONA, THE NORTHERN 
CROWN 

You can find the Crown early in May 

"The constellation this time is one that I 
like myself," said Dr. Lorry, fanning himself 
with his straw hat. "It is Co-ro'-na or the 
Northern Crown. Down in South America 
and Australia you can see the Southern 
Crown." 

"Do you mean there are stars we can't ever 
see up here in New England?" 

"Yes, indeed," replied Dr. Lorry. "There 
is another whole set of constellations to learn 
when we move South. Now, just see on the 
diagram where Corona is, just beside Bootes. 
The middle star of the crown is the brightest 
one, just as it should be." 

32 




I found this on. 



33 



"Oh! that is so easy," said Helen, immedi- 
ately finding the beautiful crown in the dark 
blue sky. 

''That bright star's name is Gemma, the 
Pearl," said the doctor. 

'T shouldn't say that Gemma was a first 
magnitude star, should you?" asked Helen. 

"Just what magnitude would you say 
Geimna was?" inquired Dr. Lorry. 

"Second," guessed Helen. 

"Right, as usual," said the doctor. "Now 
let me see if you can find another star without 
a picture. It is Spica, the brightest star in 
Virgo. Most of the stars in Virgo are faint, 
but Spica is very bright. Begin with the star 
in the Crown nearest Bootes, and draw a line 
w4th your eye through Arcturus, and you 
almost strike that pm-e white star in the south- 
ern sky." 

"I see it!" cried Helen. 

34 



"Spica is the ear of com which the Virgin 
is holding in her left hand/' explained Dr. 
Lorry. 

''Spica and Regulus look alike," said Helen. 

"So they do," said the doctor. 



35 



X. LYRA, THE LYRE 

Look for this in early June 

"I'm sorry to send this young lady to the 
beach," said Dr. Lorry to Helen's mother, as 
they stood in the garden. ''I shall miss these 
lessons myself, but I think the seashore will 
do more for Helen than school." 

''I shall miss my star lessons more than 
school," cried Helen. "I'll tell you a beauti- 
ful plan. Why can't I pick out some stars at 
the beach and send them to you to find out 
their names?" 

"That will be very fine," said the doctor, 
heartily. "I will teach you just this one be- 
fore you go. It will be Lyra, the Lyre. Look 
up in the north-eastern sky and see if you can 

36 




I found this on , 
37 



pick out this musical instrument. That bright 
star at the top is Vega." 

"That is easy to find, because there isn't any 
other bright star in this part of the sky," said 
Helen. 

''Vega is more than ten million times as far 
from us as the sun is," went on the doctor. 
''And Sheliak, which is named on the diagram, 
often changes its brightness; sometimes it is 
fourth magnitude ; sometimes as bright as 
third. We call such a star a variable." 

"How queer!" said Helen. 

"]Many things are wonderful about the 
sky," said Dr. Loriy, flashing his pocket light 
on the black card. "I have drawn a meteor on 
this diagram. This is rather a large meteor, 
to show you how they look. We call them 
shooting stars sometimes, and I want you to 
notice them at the beach." 

"How do you find one?" asked Helen. 

38 



"You just watch," explained Dr. Lorry, 
"until you see one. You are sure to see one 
if you watch long enough. Sometimes a piece 
of one strikes the earth, and we call these 
pieces meteorites. They are made of metal 
which has been melted and cooled very 
rapidly." 

"I wish I could find one," said Helen. 
"Anyway I'll write to you soon after I get to 
the seashore." 



39 



XI. CYGNUS, THE SWAN 

The Swan is visible early in July 

To tell the truth, the hotel at the beach was 
rather lonesome, when Helen and her mother 
went down in June. But after a hot week or 
two, more people came. One evening, just 
before Helen went up-stairs to bed, she sat 
with her elbows on the piazza railing, looking 
at the sky. 

''See, mother! there is Lj^ra 'way up high!" 

"And what do you know about Lyra?" 
asked a puzzled voice beside her. She turned 
to see a young man, who had arrived that day, 
in the next chair. 

*'She is learning the constellations," ex- 
plained Helen's mother. "And we're trying to 

40 




I found this on. 
41 



pick out a new one to send home to her teacher 
to find out its name." 

''Good!" said the young man, heartily. 
"Does she know Cygnus, the Swan?" 

"Oh, no!" said 'Helen. "Wouldn't it be 
great fun if I could really learn one and sur- 
prise the doctor! Do you know about the 
stars?" 

"Just a little," said the young man. "I can 
show you the Swan. Do you see where the 
Milky Way divides itself? See a large per- 
fect cross at the left?" 

"With one brighter star at the top?" said 
Helen. 

"Yes, that is Deneb, the Swan's tail. Do 
you know what the Milky Way is?" 

"It is thousands of faint stars," said Helen, 
timidly. 

"Yes, and there is a place in the Swan where 
these faint stars stop. See, just left of the 

42 



middle star? That is the Coal Sack. Then 
just below Cygnus is a tiny diamond of four 
stars. That is Delphinus, the Dolphin." 

"Isn't that cunning?" said Helen. "Won't 
the doctor be surprised? Thank you ever so 
much for telling me, and will you show me 
another sometime?" 

"Surely," said the young man, smiling to 
himself. 



43 



XII. SCORPIO 

Look for this late in July 

"Dear Dr. Lorry/' wrote Helen, "I knew 
you'd be awfully surprised to hear that I had 
found out the name of the Swan. And the 
way we found out was this. A man here 
offered to teach me, and mother happened to 
find out that he really is a Star Professor at 
the big college in New York! 

''He takes a lot of pains with me. Last 
night he took our steamer chairs off the piazza 
down to the sand. It is so much more com- 
fortable, and you can see so much better lean- 
ing back. It doesn't make your neck ache, 
either. 

"He taught us the Scorpion this time. I 
really think it looks like a Scorpion, with its 

44 




I found this on . 
45 



tail curled over its back. He says a good way 
to find Scorpio is to face south, and the handle 
of the Dipper points to it. But if you face 
south, you can hardly miss it, as An-ta-res, 
the Scorpion's heart, is so very bright and red. 
When I first looked at Antares, it looked red, 
but after the professor called my attention to 
its color, I saw it was bright green, too. It is 
a funny color, but very pretty. 

''My favorite stars so far are Regulus, 
Vega, Antares and Rigel. You didn't expect 
I'd remember Rigel, did you? 

"How do you like me for a teacher? 

"Your little friend, 

"Helen." 



46 



XIII. SAGITTAHIUS, THE 
ARCHER 

Wait until the last of August for this 

"1 think the Archer is up high enough to- 
night for us to study," said Helen's star 
friend, settling the three steamer chairs in a 
row on the sand. 

"Just at the left of the Scorpion, you will 
see a figin^e that looks like the Big Dipper up- 
side down." 

"Oh! almost exactly like the Dipper?" cried 
Helen. 

"That is it," agreed the young man. "It is 
called the Milk Dipper. The other must be a 
water dipper. Now, this is one part of Sag-it- 
ta-ri-us. The other part represents a bow 



and arrow. The three stars in a curved Hne 
make the bow." 

''And doesn't the star at the right make the 
arrow?" asked Helen. 

''Exactly right!" exclaimed Helen's teacher. 
"Perhaps you had better letter the bow, a, b, 
c, when you send the drawing to Dr. Lorry, 
and the tip of the arrow, d." 

Just then a tiny star shot rapidly across tlie 
sky. 

"A shooting star!" cried Helen. "Did you 
see it?" 

"Yes," said her friend. "You see this one 
was so bright, it left a faint streak behind 
it. I'm glad we happened to see it." 

"Dr. Lorry said I would see one if I 
watched long enough." 

"That is a wonderful sight," said Helen's 
mother. "I have learned as much as Helen 

48 




I found this on. 



49 



during these lessons, and I am sorry that we 
have to go home this week." 

"And I shall be sorry to lose such an apt 
pupil," said the professor, with a low bow. 



50 



XIV. THE SQUARE OF PEGASUS, 

THE TRIANGLE, AND ARIES, 

THE RAM 

These will he visible late in September 

"1 am glad to be back in my own garden 
again," said Helen, skipping down the path. 
''We had a beautiful time at the beach, but I 
feel more at home here." 

''So do I," agreed Dr. Lorry, comfortably, 
"although Mr. Star Professor knows a lot 
more than I do." 

"He isn't a bit more interesting, though," 
declared Helen. 

"Well, in return for that compliment, I'll 
give you a yery easy lesson. Face east, and 
look for a very large, perfect square." 

"That is easy; they are such bright stars," 
said Helen, promptly. 

51 



''Now, this is called the Winged Horse," 
went on the doctor. 

''I don't see how it can be," said Helen. 

''Well, he is on his back, and his feet are up 
in the air — up in the sky, I should say." 

"I see what might be called feet," replied 
Helen. 

"It isn't necessary to pick them out," said 
Dr. Lorry. "Just look inside the square be- 
fore I come again, and count every star you 
can see within the square." 

"Oh, that will be fun!" agreed Helen. 

"Xow, just below the Great Square is a 
perfect triangle, called the Triangle." 

"I see that, and it looks like its name," said 
Helen. 

"Just below that is A-ri-es, the Ram, made 
up of three stars. Although Aries is quite 
small, it is very important. You must be sure 
to remember it. The right-hand star is the 

52 



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first double star ever seen. Through a tele- 
scope it looks like two stars close together. 
Xow, do you think you can remember three 
constellations in one night?" 
''Of course," laughed Helen. 



54 



XV. CASSIOPEIA'S CHAIR 

Look for the Chair late in October 

"For this constellation we would like those 
steamer chairs you had at the beach," said 
Dr. Lorry. "Come, we'll sit in the front seat 
of my car and lean back." 

"How pretty the Milky Way is tonight!" 
said Helen. 

"Yes, and Cass-i-o-pe'-ia's Chair lies almost 
wholly in the Milky Way. We are facing 
north. The chair is half-way between the 
Great Square and the Big Dipper, and looks 
like a W upside down. See its picture first. 
You see I have lettered the stars a, b, c, d, and 
e. The back is formed by a, b and c, the seat 
by c and d, and the front leg by d and e. 
Cassiopeia herself is nowhere to be seen." 

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"I see the chair beautifully/' said Helen. 

''You can see it at some hour of every 
pleasant night," said Dr. Lorry. ''Hello! 
what do I see coming up in the east?" 

"Oh, oh!" cried Helen, "it's Auriga! And 
I see Capella, the Goat, and the three little 
Kids." 

"What a good memory you have!" said Dr. 
Lorry, greatly pleased. "You see we've made 
the rounds of the sky. We haven't learned 
every constellation, but we know fifteen of the 
brightest ones." 

"I see the Pleiades and Taurus!" cried 
Helen. 

"Good!" shouted Dr. Lorry, who had been 
hoping Helen would discover them. 

"This week I counted twenty-five stars in- 
side the Square of Pegasus," added Helen. 

"That is good, too, because it is possible to 
see only thirty. Now we must go in. When 

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5^ou think you are forgetting these constella- 
tions just try to teach them to somebody else. 
I think'' ended the doctor, mth a twinkle, 
''that during these lessons I have learned as 
much as any one." 



58 



XVI. THE PLANETS 

One January night Helen stood in her 
window before going to bed, looking out at 
the stars. As she gazed at Castor and Pollux, 
she saw a bright star between the two lines of 
spellers in the spelling-match, which she could 
not remember seeing before. To make sure, 
she found her little book, and looked at the 
picture of Gemini. There was no star like 
it on the chart. 

"I will call up Dr. Lorry and tell him," 
decided Helen. 

"Aha!" said Dr. Lorry over the telephone, 
greatly pleased that Helen had noticed the 
extra star. "If you haven't gone to bed, I 
will come over and give you a new lesson. 
For that is a Planet which you have found, 
and not a star at all." 

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Helen was delighted, and soon the two 
astronomers were out in the garden. 

"Now, the fifteen constellations we have 
learned," began the doctor, ''are made up of 
FIXED STARS. That is, the stars don't 
go wandering about without regard for each 
other. This is why the Dipper always looks 
like a Dipper to us. But the Planets follow 
the pathway of the sun, which leads right 
through the middle of some of the constella- 
tions that you know." 

''How can you tell a planet from a star?" 
asked Helen. 

"The stars twinkle," replied Dr. Lorr5\ 
"The planets glow with a steady light. There 
are onty four planets that you are likety to 
see, which I will give you in order of their 
brilhancy. They are VENUS, JUPITER, 
MARS, and SATURN. The first two are 
white, Mars is red, and Saturn is that green- 

60 



ish-yellow which you see up there in Gemini. 
If you will get me your book, I will write out 
the things you need to know about the 
planets," 

The two star-gazers went in to the library, 
and this is what Dr. Lorrj^ wrote in Helen's 
book. 

1. Sometimes you will see a bright star in 
a constellation which is not on the chart. 

2. If it does not twinkle, this will be a 
Planet. 

3. If it is red, it is MARS. 

4. If it is very bright, in the west, just 
after sunset, it is VEXUS. 

5. If it is in the east, or overhead, or in 
the west more than three hours after sunset, 
it is JUPITER. 

6. If it is not very bright, and is greenish- 
yellow, it is SATURX. 

7. There are only six constellations in this 

61 



book in which a planet can appear. They are 
Taurus, Gemini, Leo, Scorpio, Sagittarius 
and Aries. 

As the doctor finished the list, he drew from 
his pocket a roll tied with bright blue rib- 
bons. ''Seeing you have so nearly finished 
your lectui'e-course, I brought along your 
diploma," he said. ''When you have found 
the four planets, you can write your name on 
the dotted line, in your best style." 

"Oh, with fancy scrolls and flourishes!" 
cried Helen, unrolling the heavy paper. 

This was the 

DIPLOMA 

This is to certify that 

has learned fifteen constellations and four planets^ and 
is fully qualified to enjoy the oldest and least known of 
all Nature-Studies. 

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And before the year was out, Helen's name 
stood on the dotted line, scrolls, flourishes, and 
all. So when the time comes, you, little 
reader, may put your name there, too. 



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